LAS VEGAS – The past two weeks Virginia Tech men's basketball had three of its former players playing in NBA Summer League and the trio represented the Hokies very well on the national stage.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker, who was drafted by the Brooklyn Nets but traded officially to the New Orleans Pelicans on July 7, stole the show, making NBA Summer League First Team behind an impressive showing in four games at the Thomas & Mack Center.
The Toronto native averaged 24.3 points, 4.8 rebounds and 6.0 assists per game, leading the Pelicans to the semifinals of the tournament. In the first round against the Miami Heat, Alexander-Walker put together his best game, tallying 34 points, five rebounds, five assists and four steals.
He showed off a display of beating guys off the bounce (14 free-throw attempts) and his deadly arsenal from downtown (5 3-pointers) by doing a little bit of everything. He also ended up making the game-winning free throw in overtime.
NO-LOOK NICKEIL! 👀👏#PhantomCam #NBASummer pic.twitter.com/M02DDaszjs
— NBA (@NBA) July 14, 2019
Another Hokie also made it to the semifinals, as Ahmed Hill of the Brooklyn Nets helped them finish the summer with a 4-2 record. Hill averaged 6.8 points, 2.3 rebounds and 0.5 assists per game.
The Georgia native's best game came against the Washington Wizards, ironically enough versus his former teammate in Justin Robinson, posting nine points, including two 3-pointers, and two rebounds.
.@MED_XIII WITH THE ✋ SWAT ✋ pic.twitter.com/WKGCy2EDOW
— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) July 8, 2019
Robinson, who signed with the Wizards the night of their final Summer League game, started every contest at point guard and showed flashes of his potential with distributing the basketball.
The all-time leader in assists at Tech averaged 8.8 points, 4.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists in five games of action. He shined the brightest against the Pelicans, though they were without his buddy Alexander-Walker that night, racking up 15 points, four rebounds and three assists.
OFFICIAL: We've signed G Justin Robinson!#DCFamily | @5Alive_ pic.twitter.com/ES55CwyRdt
— Washington Wizards (@WashWizards) July 14, 2019
The NBA season is slated to start in October, with the 2019-20 schedule being announced in the coming weeks. For more information on The Association, click here.